Your Virtual Reality
by Dark Shining Light
Summary: Being trapped in your crush's video game isn't fun, especially when he might not know you're in it. Nalu
1. Chapter 1

"**Your Virtual Reality"**

**By Dark Shining Light**

**Pairing: Natsu and Lucy**

**Romance/Adventure mixed in with Fantasy/Drama/Mystery**

**Rated T**

**Summary: Feeling ignored Lucy wishes Natsu paid as much attention to her as he did to his video game, though waking up in said game wasn't what she had in mind. How is she supposed to convince him that she's the real thing and not the avatar he created of her while surviving this fantasy world? Nalu**

(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)

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Pretending to sleep was hard, especially when you currently wanted to punch a classmate in the face.

Natsu kept his head down and eyes closed as he listened to Loke's terrible pick-up lines. Couldn't the idiot take a hint and notice that Lucy didn't want anything to do with him? Sheesh, he's only been rejected like only a million times.

The orange haired teen asked his partner if she would like to accompany him out to dinner (again) and Natsu waited for Lucy to reject him like always.

"Fine."

Her simple answer was a surprise to both males, their eyes widening and revealing that Natsu wasn't asleep; not that Loki or Lucy noticed.

"Really?"

The girl sighed. "Yeah why not? Just text me the details okay?"

"Of course! Dress your best princess because your knight in shining armor is here to rescue you from the clutches of your dull life and introduce you to the wonders of dating yours truly!" Loki stated before walking away and going to brag about it to Gray.

Natsu wasn't sure if he heard Lucy mumble something about Loki being an idiot but he definitely heard her say "Oh! You're awake," which was directed at him.

The pink haired delinquent shot up from his seat. "Schools over?" He shouted, getting half of the remaining students' attention. "Finally! See yeah later losers!"

"Natsu!"

Grabbing his bag, he dashed out the door laughing while ignoring Lucy's protests and her calls to wait for her.

* * *

The blonde continued to frown as she walked behind her friend. He refused to have her walking next to him; the moment she would reach his shoulder, Natsu would increase his pace and cause the girl to sprint just to catch up to him.

However, she didn't want to cause a scene and figured it would be easier to ask him at his home.

They reached the small house moments later, and when Natsu opened the front door, he sprinted inside and sat in front of the television that was located in the living room.

"Natsu!"

She watched as he put on his headgear, a device that looked like a set of headphones, and turned on the game system.

Lucy groaned angrily, tossing her bag on a dirty couch before marching into the kitchen, and slamming her hands on the counter. "Idiot!"

The girl took a few deep breathes. After a few minutes, she could hear Natsu's voice and the sounds of the TV. She shook her head before spotting burn marks on the wooden counter.

The high school student sighed. "Well," she mumbled. "At least he's not burning stuff again."

With that final thought, Lucy began to prepare their dinner. As she sliced the vegetables, the blonde thought back to her best friend. She honestly didn't know what had put him in a bad mood. He was fine this morning. And though yes he had been playing that game more frequently (never had she seen him more addicted to something other than fire), he would at least response to her when she called.

'_Maybe he had a dream about Igneel…' _She thought. _'He only gets like this when he's mentioned.'_

Natsu's foster parent, Igneel Dragoneel, started taking jobs overseas when Natsu was only 11. He promised the pink haired male that one day he'll be able to settle back into his life. That still hasn't happened. But Igneel didn't forget about his son; he paid for the house a long time ago and pays whatever bills Natsu currently has.

However, that didn't mean Natsu couldn't be heartbroken and wish for his father to return. Proof that he still loved his father showed by always wearing the scarf he gave him.

She pulled out beef meat that was in the fridge and placed it on the hot grill. _'Come back home Igneel…'_

Daring not to think of her own relationship with her father, Lucy decided it would be best to work silently, listening only to the sounds of the game and holding back a laugh whenever Natsu started to curse because something didn't go his way.

When everything was finished, she served his plate and entered the living room.

"Natsu, dinner's ready."

Unlike the other times, said teen just continued playing while ignoring her. Lucy growled lightly, setting the plate down on the dusty coffee table before standing in front of the television.

"Natsu Dragoneel! I'm talking to you!"

The former pyro merely moved his head to the side. The blonde's fury increased.

"What's so important about this game that you have to ignore me?!" Lucy looked over her shoulder but the moment she did, the game paused and she couldn't see much through the transparent black screen.

"Sheeeshhh…I'm going." He said as he lifted himself up from the floor and grabbed the plate that was behind him.

The female glared at him. Her attention was torn from him when she stepped on something. When she noticed it was a video game case, she picked it up and read the title.

"Fairy Tail?" The cover was black with a strange stone carved insignia glowing blue. She turned the box over and brought it closer to her face. "Follow along on an adventurous quest to defeat Zeref, a powerful mage with a mysterious dark past. Create your own guild and recruit members from all over Fiore and the online world-"

"You don't have to read it out loud you know? I already know all that stuff." Natsu stated from the table before taking another bite of the beef.

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Rude much?"

"You're the one reading my stuff!"

"You're welcome for the meal!"

"I didn't ask you to make it!"

"You know what?! I don't know what got you in such a bad mood but I don't have to deal with it. So when you're feeling like yourself again, then you can talk to me." Lucy shouted. She grabbed her bag and marched over to the front door. She slammed the front door and stood outside, expecting the boy to snap out of whatever bad mood he was in and come after her. However, after standing outside for a few minutes, the girl tiptoed to the window and peered inside.

She could see Natsu sitting down on the floor, playing his video game and Lucy couldn't stop the heartbreak she felt.

* * *

In her own apartment, the female tossed and turned on her bed, not in the bit tired. Giving up on pretending to sleep, she flopped on her back and stared at the ceiling.

Was that game so interesting that he couldn't check up on his best friend? All he had to do was come outside, apologize and she would have forgiven him. But now, she didn't know what to think. Why could he just ignore her like that?

Lucy rolled onto her side and noticed that it was 11:11 on her digital clock. She thought back to the myth about making a wish at this time and having it come true. She smiled slightly. _'Couldn't hurt.'_

"I wish Natsu would pay as much attention to me as he does to that game." She mumbled. Lucy closed her eyes; making that wish had put her in a better mood and it was enough to put her in a calm state that eventually put her to sleep.

* * *

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to her surroundings. And the first thing she noticed was that she not in her room.

"Kyaa!" She yelled and quickly got off the bed. This room was way too nice to be hers. The sunlight may have been blocked by the large dark curtains but she could still make out the silhouettes of fancy furniture and expensive accessories.

"Calm down, calm down. This might just be a dream." She muttered. The girl walked to the door, pausing when she caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror. "What am I wearing?!" She exclaimed.

Her hair was divided into two low ponytails. Her blue shirt was more like a vest and exposed her stomach and lower back. Plus it gave the world a nice view of her cleavage. Her black skirt was so short she wasn't sure how she could run in it without anyone sneaking a peak at her underwear. Attached to her hip were a whip and a brown key bag that held 8 keys. She had to admit that the sleeves, leggings and boots were a good match though.

"So against the dress code." She stated before peering out the door and into the hallway. The house was empty and Lucy figured this would be a good time to investigate where she was.

She walked through the house, refusing to check the rooms and find out she wasn't alone and when she found the front door, she opened it cautiously.

Imagine her surprise when she saw this wasn't her neighborhood. The street was made of stone and people she didn't recognize were cheerfully walking by. The girl slammed the door shut and pressed herself against it.

'_Okay. This is definitely not your home. Stay calm Lucy. You need to think.' _She took a few deep breathes, calming her accelerated heart. _'Okay. Stay here in this stranger's house and see if he isn't some kidnapper and will tell you what the heck is going on…or go outside and try to find answers yourself…'_

Deciding that the second option sounded safer, only because being out in the open gave her a better chance to escape, she reopened the front door.

She walked through the crowds of people, noticing that they were dressed as strangely as her and weren't giving her the least bit of attention.

Lucy continued to walk and explore the city. However, she stopped in disbelief when she stood in front of a large building. _'No way…' _Panic bubbled inside of her.

'_Fairy Tail?'_

* * *

Natsu opened his eyes and stared at the digital clock that read 6:35am. He groaned, clearly annoyed with the time. It was bad enough he stayed up late, but when he tried to go to sleep, he struggled.

Guilt had been eating at him all night; he knew it wasn't fair to take out his jealousy on Lucy. Even if she is dense, that was no reason to treat her the way he did yesterday.

'_I'm a total ass…' _He concluded. _'But for sure, I'll apologize later when I see her.'_

Checking the time and noticing it was now 6:42am, he knew he wasn't going back to sleep, especially if he had to get ready in an hour.

The teen got out of bed and exited his bedroom, deciding to plop down the couch. He noticed his game system in front of the television and looked at the living room clock. 6:43am.

Natsu walked up to his game and pressed the power button. As he set up his headgear and reached for the controller, one thought crossed his mind. _'One little game couldn't hurt.'_

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**A/N: Hello! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and are somewhat interested in it. If you're confused on what's happening, the later chapters should hopefully explain what's up. ****The outfit Lucy is wearing in the game is the same one she wears during the Infinite Clock arc, just to let you know.**

**If you're bored and are looking for more Nalu stories to read, I have a few that you're free to check out! I know, shameless promoting. Forgive me XD**

**Thank you so much if you read this/favorite/follow and I hope you leave a review to tell me your thoughts. :)**

**Your friend,**

**Dark Shining Light**


	2. Chapter 2

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

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**Chapter 2- Day 1: Experience**

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'_This has to be a dream.' _Lucy thought as she made her inside the building. '_There's no way I can be trapped in a video game.' _

She looked around the guild, watching many people interact with one another. _'Are all these people alive or just computers?'_

The girl walked over to a man who was just sitting down with a drink. "Ah excuse me sir, I'm new so I was hoping you can help me out."

He said nothing. She frowned and waved a hand right in front of him.

A big sign saying "Offline" appeared right in front of her. "Wah!" She stumbled back and accidently bumped into someone.

"I take it this is your first day."

Lucy turned around and spotted a beautiful young woman; she had long silver hair and the kindest blue eyes you'd ever see. "Hello, and welcome to Fairy Tail. My name is Mira. If you have any questions, please free to ask."

The blonde unconsciously bit her lip. She gulped. "Mira." She said. "Where am I?"

"You are currently located on the first floor of the Fairy Tail Guild Lucy."

Her heart bumped. "How did you know my name?"

"Forgive me; I seemed to have failed in properly introducing myself. My name is Mirajane Strauss and I am online representative, meaning if you have any questions about the game, I am here to assist you in the best that I can. Because I work for Dreyer's Industries, the company who owns Fairy Tail, my avatar is more advanced than yours. I can read name, rank, wizard type, and power levels of every online gamer."

"Woah!" Lucy breathed, taking in all the information. "That sounds pretty cool. What's all my stuff?"

The silver haired woman stared at her before frowning, "You should know your avatar's information. After all, you selected it when you first created your character."

"No, I didn't! This is my first time playing! Honest!" The blonde begged, wanting this woman to help her as much as she can.

Mira stared at her again but this time a look of recognition passed through her. "Oh! I'm sorry! I see what happened. You're using someone's original N.P.C. but have now taken over as player 2."

"Wait, what?"

"Non-playable character. Usually an online gamer creates an N.P.C. to help him or her on their quests. However, sometimes these avatars can go from N.P.C. to an actual playable character if they place another controller and select multi player. That's one of the qualities of our game. Are you currently player 2?"

Lucy gulped. "Yeah… I am…"

"Okay!" The blue eyed woman giggled. "Press Start on your controller. If you are using a PC Virtual Monitor, then swipe your right hand in front of you, top to bottom. It will bring down your menu."

She had an uncertain look on her face but the girl still did it. To her surprise, something actually popped up. It looked like a phone's contact list but instead of names and numbers there were categories.

"Okay, scroll down your list until you hit 'Skills.'" Mira instructed. The blonde scrolled down, passing 'allies, inventory, health,' before reaching the 'skills' column. The page showed a picture of her in her current outfit. Her name was placed for it as well as a power level of 38. On the right hand top, it read 'Celestial Spirit Mage.' At the bottom of that, her abilities were listed: Summon Crux-The Southern Cross, Summon Horologium-the clock, Summon Lyra- the lyre, Summon Nikora- the canis minor, Summon Pyxis- the compass. Other abilities, such as Multiple Summons had yet to be locked.

"Hey Mira, what does a celestial spirit mage do?"

"If you open your inventory and click on the Fairy Tail Guide Book icon, a book will appear with that information." Lucy had to admit, she admired how patience she was being with her.

The girl scrolled back up, opening the inventory column and tapping on guide book. A green book magically appeared.

"Woah," The blonde breathed. She opened it up and read the table of content. When her eyes landed on the word 'mages' she automatically tapped the word. Surprisingly, it actually took her to that section of the book.

A list of different types of mages and their magic was given to her. "Let's see..." she mumbled. "celestial…celestial…celestial spirit? Is that it? No wait, celestial spirit Mage! Here is it…"

'A celestial spirit mage signs contracts with online celestial spirit gamers to help him or her in the game. Automatically, a celestial spirit mage is given 5 silver keys; these keys summon N.P.C. spirits. Wanting to form a partnership with an online celestial spirit gamer requires an individual to receive an item key from said spirit. Afterwards, it's up to the party to decide the times to meet.

A celestial spirit mage can obtain maximum 12 partnerships with other gamers as long as it is not the same type of celestial spirit.'

'_Wait, what?' _Lucy thought before reading the next sentence.

'For example, if you have already formed a contract with one Leo celestial spirit than you cannot form another contract with a different Leo celestial spirit. You'd have to break your contract with the previous Leo in order to form a new one with another Leo.'

'_Okay, now it makes sense.'_ The female thought. She clicked on the 'celestial spirit' category.

'A celestial spirit lives in another world called 'The Celestial Spirit World'. There are twelve types of celestial spirits: Capricorn, Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Sagittarius, Leo, Aries, Scorpio, Gemini, Pisces, and Libra.

Unlike most starter player character players, celestial spirits are given a high power level from the beginning. This high power level can be used to travel to 'Earthland'. Once health bar level diminishes due to an overuse of magic, player is sent back to the 'Celestial Spirit World.'

'If a celestial spirit forms a contract with a celestial spirit mage, then player can stay longer in Earthland. Health bars will continue to diminish though not as drastic if player was single.'

'_I guess this a fair partnership.' _Lucy thought. _'While a celestial mage tries to raise its power, a spirit can help protect them so they aren't destroyed by stronger players. And it's not fair to other players if spirits had huge power levels from the start so limiting them so they have to work with someone else is a great idea.'_

Curious, the girl flipped through mages, forgetting that Mira was still in front of her. _'I wonder which one Natsu is; I can't decide if he chose dragon slayer or a fire mage….definitely not solid script mage since he hates to read…'_

Suddenly, her body stopped working. '_What?!' _ She tried to move but her body was frozen. She wanted to ask Mira what was happening when she realized she couldn't open her mouth. The blonde was panicking; her heart pumping louder and louder. _'Why can't I move?!' _She internally screamed.

"Oh Lucy! There you are!"

Her heart stopped. _'Natsu?'_

* * *

When the game finished loading, the first thing he did was check up on his sleeping Exceed. Natsu smiled slightly before pressing a button that petted the cat. "Happy, wake up." He murmured.

The Exceed opened his eyes and grinned. "Morning Natsu!"

Happy followed the virtual Natsu as they exited the room and knocked on someone else's room before walking in.

The pink haired teen blinked, confused. _'Where is she? I'm pretty sure I saved the game with her in her room.' _

He searched her around the house, dread nesting in his stomach when he didn't find anyone else. _'Calm down Natsu, maybe you just accidently left her at the guild.'_

Virtual Natsu ran through the streets of Magnolia, never pausing until he had to open the door to the guild hall. Relief shot through him when he spotted his blonde.

"Oh Lucy! There you are."

When he stood in front of her, the male couldn't help but to look at the screen in confusion. Why did Lucy have a book? The Fairy Tail Guide Book wasn't her main item.

"Weird," He muttered before opening up her character settings, switching the book to the whip that was reached to her hip. _'Better not be some fuck'n hacker messing around with my Luce.'_

"Hey Luce, let's go on a mission."

Virtual Lucy smiled. "Alright!"

The male walked up to the large board. When he pressed on a buttom, the screen focused on the mission requests. Natsu hummed as he read; he needed something quick and easy before getting ready for school.

'Help. Vulcan Hoard blocks my path.'

Natsu clicked on it and read the information. _'Defeat Hoard of Vulcans that block my place…reward 3000 J. Che, what a cheapo. But there's nothing else on the board._

The pink haired teen accepted the request before walking up to the N.P.C. again. "Let's go!"

"Okay!"

Natsu quickly found Happy, who had gotten lost in the guild, and together all three of them went on their mission. Unbeknownst to them, a pair of blue eyes watched them leave with distrust.

* * *

She hated this. She hated not being in control of her body. She hated how her body would speak for her and not allow her to do anything _she _wanted.

For example, maybe rubbing her hands against her skin because she was freezing!

It bothered her how she had no control over what she could do yet was still able to feel everything around her. It made no sense!

They stopped at the entrance of cave. She guessed this was where there mission would take place. Lucy felt nervous; she knew they were on a mission but it's not like Natsu told her anything. Right now, she was a N.P.C. and had to follow him regardless so why would he explain this to her?

But she wished she had; not knowing what was about to happen frightened her.

The moment Natsu stepped into the cave, the three huge Vulcans were shown arguing with each other before facing the three-man team. Lucy noticed Natsu, the strange cat and the Vulcans had two bars each; one indicating health and the other indicating magic. She figured she must have them as well.

"Here we go!" Natsu yelled excitedly before his fists lit up.

'_HOLY!'_

The male ran towards the central Vulcan, landing a kick. That brought its health bar slightly down. The other two creatures stared at her before hearts appeared as their eyes. "WOMAN!" They cheered.

'_AHHH! WHAT ARE WRONG WITH THESE THINGS?!'_

Because her body was still on automatic, her right hand lifted up and activated her menu. She went to the column 'Allies' and clicked on it. She was surprised to see 5 names appear.

'SALAMANDER- online' was the first name, followed by 'HAPPY.' Underneath that, she saw three Golden key icons- each one by a name. _'Wait, does that mean Natsu has already contracted me with other gamers? Awesome!'_

Her excitement died down when she noticed the user names of these players.

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – offline

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! - online

Silence echoed in her mind. _'WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE HAS NATSU BEEN BEFRIENDING FOR ME?!' _

Her hand clicked on 'I just want to Smooo-ch' "Open- Gate of the Bull- Taurus!" She unwilling yelled.

A big muscular cow carrying a large ax appeared. "Mooo!" He shouted. "I'm here to protect Ms. Lucy's boobs!"

'_SERIOUSLY NATSU! WHAT SPIRIT DID YOU GET ME?!'_

"Bull?! What have I said about shouting that out loud?!" Natsu yelled as he finished off one of the Vulcans. His magic had only been brought down by a quarter and his health was at eighty percent.

But the bull ignored him in favor of fighting one of the Vulcans while Natsu took on the last one. Taurus (she wasn't going to call him by his user name) swung his axe but the Vulcan blocked it. The ape like creature tried to attack back but Taurus blocked his hit with his axe.

Before she knew what she was doing, her body went on the attack with her whip. At this point the Vulcan they were facing lost three-fourths of its health. Then, the girl's movements became more sluggish. She was even having trouble breathing. _'What's going on?' _Taurus seemed to be experiencing the same thing because he was looking tired as well. She saw his health bar and noticed it was at twenty-five percent. _'How did that happen?'_

The Vulcan seized its opportunity and slammed Taurus into the Lucy. Pain shot through her as his heavy body crushed her. She wanted to scream but couldn't.

Taurus's health bar reached zero percent before he disappeared.

The blonde wanted nothing more but just lay there but her stupid body wouldn't listen. It stood up and started running towards the cave entrance. Her lungs felt like they were going to explore; her back was hurting like if it was broken.

'_Stop it! Please!'_

That's when the last attack happened. The stupid Vulcan jumped on her back.

She didn't hear Natsu's yell. It was quiet; so much pain shot through her body at that one moment. She couldn't breathe. It was that move that brought her health bar to zero percent.

* * *

Lucy woke up in what seemed like in an infirmary. It was huge and many other people were in it. She should have worried and questioned why she was there. Instead, she smiled softly. It had all been a dream.

The blonde turned her attention to the right. Her eyes widened at the sight of a pink haired teen lying in another hospital bed.

"Natsu!" She screamed and flung herself out of bed. She grabbed his shoulder, only for a large 'Offline' sign to appear.

Her heart stopped. It…it hadn't been a dream.

She collapsed on her knees. Tears poured down her face before she knew it. _'No…'_

The girl angrily ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head in denial. _'No! No! No! No!'_

Lucy couldn't stop crying. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! She was forced to let some computer system run her body; she was thrown into some battle that she wasn't prepared for. But worse…worst of all. She had died. And it had _hurt._

How fucked up was this game?

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**A/N: I'm finished! I'm finished! (….with this chapter…) I hope you guys enjoyed it. I'm glad I finished this the same day I uploaded two other stories. Really glad.**

**I'm sure you all have a lot a questions, like what did you just read but I didn't want to bomb you with so much information all at once so I'm trying to divide it 'equally'. **

**Sorry if my fighting and dying description were lame. Rarely do those so I'll work on it. **

**Heads up, this story is going to take a lot more time to update than "What you make me do" because of the research I've been putting into this; from Fairy Tail knowledge, to game terms to psychology/neuroscience (haven't seen much of that but you will!) You'll also see a lot more Nalu. Trust me. **

**Special thanks to my reviewers:**

**Featherhart**** – It's updated my friend! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**FDsecretart**** - Sorry if I don't have enough chapters! I'll do my best to write more so you can read more.**

**TheGoldenDragonofFiore****- Thank you! I'm glad you find this good even if you've already read this. I'll try to make it more interesting.**

**Hrstory****- Updated! I hope you still found it good!**

**Gailel****- Thank you! I'm glad you like the idea! I'll try to continue making it good.**

**FireDemonSlayer****- I think your English was fine! I'm glad you loved it and I hope you continue loving it!**

**izabellax3****- I'll try too! **

**Cindy M 19****- Sorry I'm forcing you to wait but here's a chapter XD**

**amehanaa**** – I hope I do those series proud with this story! Thanks again! **

**Guest****- Thank you! I updated! Hope you're proud!**

**AnimexFreakz****- I hope you still consider this a good story XD I can't spoil too much except you are right, Loke is out of a date. Thanks again ^^**

**Thank you for all those who have reviewed/favored/followed this story! It means a lot when I see that people want me to continue writing!**

**If you're bored feel free to check out more of my Nalu stories.**

**Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter.**

**Your Friend,**

**Dark Shining Light**

**P.S. if you guys have any ideas for a user name for another Celestial Spirit please let me know. I'm eager to hear what you guys have to say! **


	3. Chapter 3

**(I do NOT Own Fairy Tail)**

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**Chapter 3 - Investigating**

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* * *

Natsu walked down the street with a large convenience store bag in his hand. He munched on his curry bread with his unfocused eyes facing the floor.

Lucy hadn't come over. He lived closer to the school so she always insisted that there was no point in him having to walk in the opposite direction. She claimed it was a waste of time.

Yet she hadn't shown up. His heart gave an uncomfortable thump. She was still mad.

The teen hadn't even noticed he arrived to his school until he was standing in front of his classroom.

He slightly gulped, clenched onto his bag before walking in and taking his seat in the back. Lucy wasn't here and instantly the whispers began to spread.

The pink haired boy felt like it was day one all over again, back then when he didn't have a friend. His stomach crunched up, a nauseous feeling taking over but he tried not to show it. After all, he was the class delinquent: he shouldn't care what they say.

But he did and that was the problem. The bell rang a moment later but the murmurs didn't stop; he knew because they kept glancing at him.

The male opened another packet of bread and quietly chewed. Lucy wasn't here. He tapped his foot rapidly. '_Lucy's not here.'_ His mind repeated. _'Lucy's not here. Lucy's not here. Lucy's not here!'_

Lucy never missed school; now he was definitely worried.

"Settle down class." His teacher, Totomaru-sensei, commanded. He walked to the front of the class, giving the pink haired teen a quick glare before looking at everyone else.

"Today on my way to class I picked up an interesting article from the newspaper." He opened the paper and read his desired article. "'Little Boy Actually Once a Fire Wizard: Does Reincarnation and Magic Really Exist?'"

Natsu's mind started to wonder. He had no use for this, even if fire was mentioned.

"'A 6 year old named Romeo Conbolt claims that he was once a wizard during the X800 years. Normally this would be written off as a child's imagination if it wasn't for his father Macao Conbolt, 29, offering evidence.'"

The pink haired eye's shifted to the empty seat next to him.

"The boy knows so much about fire that it scares me,' Macao Conbolt said. 'And he not only knows what it does but he knows the fundamental principles on how it's made; the elements that go into it, how to change its color, and the fact that he can explain it in great detail makes me know that he's not lying.'

"'When we asked Romeo how he knew so much, he said that the answers came to him through his dreams. He claims that he sees an older version of himself doing magic tricks while going to class to learn about it. Macao says that Romeo has these dreams too often to be a coincidence.'"

The teacher placed the paper down.

"I could go on with the article but I think you get the point. Why am I talking about this you ask? It's because I want to know your thoughts on the belief of reincarnation."

Students' hands flew up. Natsu continued eating. That was the deal after all; he would be allowed to eat in the class as long as he was quiet and didn't disturb his teacher. That was the deal Lucy made for him.

His heart dropped to his stomach as he stared at Lucy's empty desk. Was she really that mad? So mad that she didn't even want to see him at school? So mad that she would make sure he went back to being alone? The mere thought caused his physical discomfort to increase.

'_No...'_ He refused to believe that she would leave him. There had to be another reason. There just had to be. But what?

"I noticed that Lucy isn't here…" He heard someone whisper; he turned his head in that direction. It was Gray, who sat in the row in front of him, three desks away.

"What a shame." Loke mumbled back to Gray.

"You didn't break her heart did you?" The black haired teen asked teasingly.

Loke smirked slightly. "That does happen a lot."

The two stopped their whispering when Totomaru gave them a sharp glare and asked them contribute their thoughts on the subject.

Meanwhile, the eavesdropper visibly shook. He wanted nothing more than to hop over and demand what the redhead meant by that. Did he do something to Lucy? _His_ Luce? The bastard must have; Lucy had never missed school and now that she had agreed to go out with Loke, she somehow misses? '_It's his fault…' _He chanted. _'It's his fault. It's his fault! IT'S HIS FAULT!'_

He breathed in and out. He couldn't fight him here. Totomaru would send him to the office. Then he'd never get his answer.

Natsu would just have to wait a little longer: Loke was so lucky.

* * *

The moment they were outside the classroom, the pink haired teen shoved people aside and made his way towards the two other boys. He pulled Loke by the collar and slammed him against the wall. Students gasped but he paid no attention to them.

"Where is she?" Natsu hissed. "Where's Lucy?"

"Get off of him pyro!" Gray yelled and tried to get the delinquent off his friend. However, Loke merely raised his hand, signaling Gray that he could handle it.

The redhead looked at Natsu. "I don't know what you're talking about. I left her messages on her phone yesterday and she never replied. That's all I know."

Both males continued to glare before Natsu slammed his fist against the wall, right next to Loke's head. Students stepped back when they saw the large hole he created with a mere punch.

He let go of the other teen and Loke straightened his collar. Gray approached his friend before glaring at the guy who attacked him. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that?"

The pink haired teen snarled. Before either of them can say anything else, someone else made his way into the hall.

"What's with all the ruckus?" Gildarts inquired in a loud booming tone. "Everyone should be out eating their lunch, not staring at these three."

The students quickly scattered, including Gray and Loke. Natsu looked away from the teacher as Gildarts observed the hole in the wall. There was no point in running; he would get blamed even if he hadn't caused it. That's how things worked without Lucy.

The older man sighed. "Again, Natsu. Just be thankful it was me who found this and not your student body president."

A shiver ran down his spine. That woman was a demon.

"I'll tell you what; I'll let it slid since I see your little friend isn't here and you're probably moody because of it. But don't let this happen again you hear?"

The young pyromaniac nodded while the teacher smiled and ruffled his hair. "Atta boy."

When Gildarts left, the teen quickly rushed to the restroom. He sat down on a stall and pulled out a newly purchased lighter from his pocket. _'Sorry Lucy...but you're not here...'_

He grabbed long strands of toilet paper and watched the flames devour it. He repeated the process multiple times until he was feeling better.

The bell rang, startling the male. He slowly placed the lighter back in his pocket. He let out a deep breath before walking back to Totomaru's classroom.

* * *

Natsu ran down the streets, not caring if he bumped into any body. He needed to see her.

The boy only stopped when he was in front of her apartment. Everything looked intact. He walked up to the door and noticed that it was slightly opened. His eyes widened and he quickly went it.

"Lucy?!"

No response. His heartbeat accelerated. He didn't even take off his shoes as he wondered around the apartment, calling out to her. "Lucy?! Come on, answer me!"

He entered her bedroom and noticed the bed was unmade. Lucy always made her bed; she considered herself a slob if she didn't. He sniffed the sheets, catching a whiff of Lucy's natural vanilla scent before he smelled something else. He sniffed once more, this time catching a male's elegant colon and… anesthetics?

Natsu quickly pulled away. Realization hit him and it left him in disbelief. Someone else was here. Someone else was here and now she wasn't. Lucy was gone.

Lucy was gone.

* * *

Two days passed since Natsu last logged it.

As much as Lucy hated being controlled by the stupid N.P.C. system, she felt more alone without him with her.

Her last experience traumatized her from taking any missions so she spent her time summoning her silver keys, testing their abilities and reading the Fairy Tail Guide Book.

Just recently she managed to learn that Natsu's user name was 'Salamander' and he was a level 55 dragon slayer. She had learned this by clicking on his name on her 'Allies' list.

With this information, she skipped to the 'mages' section of the book.

'A dragon slayer is an elemental wizard that learns his/her magic from a dragon. Element is chosen at the time of mage selection. Elements include fire, earth, air, water, iron, poison, light, shadow, grass, and ice. Unlike other starter players, dragon slayers begin their story by training with a dragon 'parent.'

The blonde smiled; her best friend was in love with those creatures and she knew he would get a kick out pretending to be raised by one.

'After the player reaches level 10, the dragon disappears.' Her eyes widened in shock. _'What?!' _She read those words once more, and the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach continued to exist. '…the dragon disappears…'

'_Poor Natsu…' _Lucy knew he that must have taken a real hit from that.

'Dragon slayers have the opportunity to search for their dragon as they continue the game.'

'_At least he has hope to find his dragon.' _

As that last thought crossed her mind, her body shut down, causing her to panic. '_Oh no not again!'_

The doors from the infirmary slammed opened and 'Salamander' walked out.

"Mira!" He shouted and ran over to the assistant.

'_Natsu!' _Lucy mentally cried. She wanted nothing more than for him to come over and help her out. Or at least get near her for the avatar to follow.

The white haired worker smiled. "Hello Salamander. How can I help you?"

"I have a favor to ask."

"Ask away."

Natsu paused. "Can I ask you in private?"

The Fairy Tail assistant blinked. "Ah, ok. Follow me."

Both players walked past Lucy, causing the current N.P.C. to walk behind them. Mira led the two into a back storage where no one else was there. She locked the door and turned to the dragon slayer.

"How can I assist you?"

"I need you to let me talk to the guild master."

'_Guild Master?' _The blonde thought. The book mentioned something but she couldn't remember who he was…

"I'm sorry but the guild master is a very busy man. I need more information on your request before I can further my assistance." She smiled sweetly.

The pink haired teen groaned. "It's important I swear."

"Unless I have further information, your request to see the guild master has been denied."

He sighed in defeat. "Okay. My friend is missing." He pointed to his N.P.C. "And she looks exactly like this. I want the guild master to send a message to every Fairy Tail account, asking them if they've seen the real Lucy Heartfilia and if you have to let Salamander know."

The brown eyed girl felt her chest tightened. _'Natsu…'_

Mira frowned. "Unfortunately Dreyer's Industries is not in partnership with any federal, state, or county government. Have you already gone to your local police department and reported a missing person?"

'_But I'm not missing! I'm right here Natsu!' _Lucy internally shouted.

The male ran his hand through his hair in an agitated form. "No….I can't…I can't do that. Please just let me speak to the guild master."

"The answer is still no."

"Please. I can't go to the police."

"May I ask why?"

"Because. Lucy…." He groaned; both women saw that he was struggling with whether or not to reveal that information. "Lucy…she ran away from home. She had to get away from her father. He was a dick! And cause she's only 17, if the police find her, they're only going to take her back to her dad! And the people who help her are also going to get in big trouble; probably going to be accused of kidnapping or something! So please I'm begging you, no police, just let me talk to the guild master."

"I'm sorry Salamander," The woman looked heartbroken to say it, "but my answer is still no. Dreyer Industries simply can't get involved in a case like this."

"DAMN IT!" Natsu yelled before his character displayed an 'offline' sign.

The moment her body was free, the blonde ran out up to the figure but couldn't touch him without the 'offline' sign going on.

"Natsu!"

She felt sick. Her poor best friend was worrying about her. All because she was stuck in a stupid game because of a stupid wish she made! Without her, he really was alone. That thought itself made her want to cry.

"Oh dear." Mira frowned as she approached the girl. "You just missed him. You better talk to him when you get back. He's really worrying about you Lucy, that is, if you are the real Lucy Heartfilia."

"I am!"

"Good. Please tell him you are fine when he logs back in." The woman stated before opening the door to the storage room.

"But Mira-"

"Sorry but I have other players to assist. Please hold your question for another time." The white haired girl smiled before leaving the room.

"But…" Lucy didn't bother finishing her sentence. Mira couldn't hear anyways.

The girl slouched down to the floor. She let out a frustrated moan. "What to do…" She mumbled.

'_Is this why he didn't log in for two days? Was he looking for me?' _Somehow she knew that was the right answer. _'I hope he didn't stay out too late. Did he even go to school? Has he been eating right or getting enough sleep?'_

As these thoughts continued, the guilt slowly built up. _'And what was I doing? Just…sitting here because I was too afraid of a little pain…okay, it hurt but at least I lived. If I want to escape this place, then I need to go outside and investigate.'_

She released a deep breath of air. "I can do this…"

* * *

'_Why do they have to be so hard?' _Lucy mentally cried. She stared at the request board with a bunch of other online players. _'Save me against a Vulcan; sorry buddy but you're on your own…stop Bora from enslaving female avatars; not that I don't care but I'll get enslaved if I take that mission…' _In that moment, a new mission request was posted right in front of her. '_oh! Bring back a book…take back the book Daybreak from Everlue….location is Shirotsume Town…reward 20,000 J. Seems easy enough. Plus, maybe that book can have some information.'_

She placed her hand on it and when asked to accept, she did. The blonde quickly opened up her menu and clicked on 'maps'. After finding the city, she quickly exited and made her way to the train station.

* * *

Lucy stood outside the mansion. She lightly gulped. "Okay, here I go…"

She touched the gate and soon a skinny monkey faced maid appeared from the ground. The action caused the poor blonde to shriek and land on her butt.

"You are not welcomed here!" She claimed before two bars appeared over her head. Just like the Vulcans.

"Sorry but I don't take orders from you!" The brown eyed girl stated. She pulled out her whip and struck the woman on her side. She merely yelped as her health bar went down to half. _'What the-' _She struck her again and the maid collapsed before she vanished.

'_That was…surprisingly easy…' _She thought as she made her way into the mansion. The same thing occurred with three different ugly maids.

"So you're the one sending my N.P.C.s to my infirmary." A sound echoed from the top of the stairs. She spotted a short chubby man with elf ears and a crazy mustache.

'_Those were N.P.C.s?' _"So, are you Everlue?"

He laughed. "Indeed I am! I won't bother with your name ugly because you're about to lose!"

An angry vein appeared on her forehead. "Who are you calling ugly?!"

Two health bars appeared over his head, signaling it was time to battle. The man pulled out a golden key. "Open- Gate of the Maiden- Virgo!"

A large, muscular overweight pinked woman dressed in a maid's outfit appeared in front of the blonde. Lucy screamed.

"Punishment time!" The woman yelled and swung a fist in her direction. Luckily Lucy dodged the attack. With her whip, she managed to land a hit on her side. It made a small dent in Virgo's health bar.

The maid sent a kick in her direction but because Lucy had 'blocked' it with her arms crossed, the damage barely existed.

"Stupid girl! Hurry up and defeat her already!" Everlue yelled from the top of the stairs.

"My apologizes master!" The pink haired girl told him as she activated 'diver' and went underground.

"What the-" '_Where'd she go?' _The female celestial wizard inquired. Her question was answered when Virgo burst underneath her and punched her. That brought down Lucy's health bar by at least a fourth.

"That's it?!" The male shrieked. "I thought you were stronger than that! You're beautiful but why do you have to be so stupid and weak?!"

"Hey that's enough!" Lucy yelled, surprising both her foes. She stood up and narrowed her eyes at the man. "I can't just sit back and watch you verbally abuse another player, even if she is my opponent. She's doing her best so why don't you just back off?!"

"Why you-" She didn't hear his response. It was that moment that the blonde's attention turned to his health and magic bars. She noticed that they were almost at fifty percent. Virgo's were lower than fifty percent.

'Health Bars will continue to diminish…'

'_That's right….like what happened with Taurus and I…' _

"Hey Virgo, forget that creep and let's continue our battle." Lucy shouted as she ran towards her, whip in her hand. Virgo noticed this and went on the attack. "Flying Virgo Attack!" She jumped as if she were to do a belly flop but the blonde noticed and jumped back before the large woman could hit her. Little harm was done to Virgo's health bar but because of the longer time she spent in Earthland, her health bar read less than twenty five percent.

Lucy quickly opened her menu and went to 'Allies.'

'SALAMANDER' – offline

'HAPPY'

(Aquarius) I HAV A BOYFRIEND, GET OVR IT – offline

(Cancer) BABY EBI – online

(Taurus) I JUST WANT TO SMOOO-CH! - online

'_Let's try you!' _"Open- gate of the giant crab- Cancer!" A tall like orange skinned man appeared; you could say that his outfit was quite stylish even with those giant crab legs sticking from his back.

"Who needs a haircut baby?!" Baby Ebi asked his wizard partner.

'_Yup,' _Lucy smiled. _'Another weirdo.' _"Think you can finish off that that creep over there?" The blonde pointed to Everlue, who was looking nervous over the stairs.

"Of course baby!" He stated.

"You won't get passed me!" Virgo announced.

"Want to bet?!" Lucy demanded as she ran over to the maid. "Lucy-kick!"

The muscular woman blocked it but it was all the time Baby Ebi needed for him to use his enhanced speed and shave the other man bald.

"No!" Everlue cried. "My avatar!"

His health bar dropped to zero percent and the pink haired maid disappeared right after. His body vanished, leaving a book in his place.

"Thanks for your help." Lucy said before the celestial spirit nodded. "Anytime baby." He vanished as well.

The girl walked over to the book and picked it up. A message appeared right in front of her, startling her once again. It read "MISSION COMPLETE" before a light engulfed the book and caused it to disappear.

She was about to walk away when she noticed a piece of paper by her feet. "What's this?" She wondered. She read the note. A shock ran through her body, leaving her stunned and frightened.

The note read:

'We were afraid and who wouldn't be? We were facing the one man that had brought so much despair into our world. Many of our loved ones suffered because of the actions of this evil man. And now, it was time for us to face him.'

(Do these words sound familiar Lucy Heartfilia?)

…

...

* * *

**A/N: Before I do anything else, MAJOR thanks to all my reviewers! Thank you zadabug98, Featherhart, Breadfast, IdentityCrisis.03, TheGoldenDragonofFiore, FDsecretart, Stellar MEL, Ayumi Yoona Heartphilia, ChuChu43, , Absent Angel, AnimexFreak 0.o, EgyptianSoul.88, a guest, amehanaa, and LoneStorm! Seriously, without you guys motivating me I wouldn't be uploading this story. Like at all. So thank you ^^**

**Notes...Notes...oh! Totomaru is the teacher because 1) he is one and 2) he hates Natsu , which were the qualifications to be Lucy and Natsu's homeroom teacher. I'm not bashing on Gray and Loke (I love them both); Natsu is a minor pyromaniac, meaning he's not obsessed to the point of burning down buildings. Fire merely comforts him and he didn't want to get into serious trouble so he burnt paper instead. Virgo isn't her actual username (Lucy just didn't know it) and I think that's it.**

**Hopefully this chapter answered everyone's question about what Natsu would do if he found out Lucy was missing. Yet I feel like I gave you guys more things to question. hehehe sorry? But don't worry it will all make sense at the end (hopefully).**

**Quick thing to mention. I studied screenwriting and when you write a script, it's normally 90-120 pages long; because you are limited on space everything you write should have meaning. The reason I bring this up is to let you know that's what I'm trying to do. Maybe not the 90-120 pages but at least making sure everything I write is important to the story. Some of the things you read here may make you go, "okay. moving on..." but trust me when I say that sentence has value. When the ending comes, I don't want anyone to feel ripped off so please keep this mind.**

**That's all I really have to say. Have any questions or didn't understand a certain part don't hesitate to ask! (Don't ask for spoilers though XD) There will be more Nalu in the future! I promise.**

**Thank you so much for reading/favoring/following this story! It does mean a lot when I see people interested in my work! If you're bored, feel free to check out my other Nalu stories. **

**Please leave a review! I'm always curious to see what people think about this story. Plus they also motivate me to do more! :)**

**Until next time,**

**your friend,**

**Dark Shining Light **


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